Fort Hood suspect said his goodbyes before rampage

'ALLAHU AKBAR'

By MIKE BAKER and BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE, Associated Press Writers Mike
Baker And Brett J. Blackledge, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 13
mins ago
FORT HOOD, Texas – As if going off to war, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan
cleaned out his apartment, gave leftover frozen broccoli to one
neighbor and called another to thank him for his friendship — common
courtesies and routines of the departing soldier. Instead,
authorities say, he went on the killing spree that left 13 people at
Fort Hood, Texas, dead.

Investigators examined Hasan's computer, his home and his garbage
Friday to learn what motivated the suspect, who lay in a coma, shot
four times in the frantic bloodletting. Hospital officials said some
of the wounded had extremely serious injuries and might not survive.

The 39-year-old Army psychiatrist emerged as a study in
contradictions: a polite man who stewed with discontent, a counselor
who needed to be counseled himself, a professional healer now
suspected of cutting down the fellow soldiers he was sworn to help.

Relatives said he felt harassed because of his Muslim faith but did
not embrace extremism. Others were not so sure. A recent classmate
said Hasan once gave a jarring presentation to students in which he
argued the war on terrorism was a war against Islam, and "made
himself a lightning rod for things" when he felt his religious
beliefs were challenged.

Investigators were trying to piece together how and why Hasan
allegedly gunned down his comrades in the worst case of violence on a
military base in the U.S. The rampage unfolded at a center where some
300 unarmed soldiers were lined up for vaccines and eye tests.

Soldiers reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic
phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire Thursday, said Lt.
Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander. He said officials had not
confirmed Hasan made the comment.

Hasan's family said in a statement Friday that his alleged actions
were deplorable and don't reflect how the family was reared.

"Our family is filled with grief for the victims and their families
involved in yesterday's tragedy," said Nader Hasan, a cousin who
lives in northern Virginia. "We are mortified with what has unfolded
and there is no justification, whatsoever, for what happened. We are
all asking why this happened, and the answer is that we simply do not
know."

The wounded were dispersed among hospitals in central Texas. W. Roy
Smythe, chairman of surgery at Scott and White Memorial Hospital,
said several patients were still at "significant risk" of losing
their lives. Army briefers told lawmakers in Washington that 38
people were wounded, eight more than officials had reported previously.

The dead included a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home,
a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a
year ago, a newlywed who had served in Iraq and a woman who had vowed
to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Army Chief of Staff George Casey said he asked bases around the
country to assess their security. He also said he was worried about a
backlash against the thousands of Muslim soldiers serving dutifully
in uniform.

Hasan was due to be deployed to Afghanistan to help soldiers with
combat stress, a task he'd done stateside with returning soldiers,
the Army said. Army spokeswoman Col. Cathy Abbott was uncertain when
Hasan was to leave but he was in the preparation stage of deployment,
which can take months.

In any event, the major was saying goodbyes and dispensing belongings
to neighbors.

Jose Padilla, the owner of Hasan's apartment complex, said Hasan gave
him notice two weeks ago that he was moving out this week.

Earlier this week, Hasan asked Padilla his native language. When
Padilla said it was Spanish, Hasan immediately went up to his
apartment to get him a Spanish-language Quran. Padilla said Hasan
also refused to reclaim his deposit and last month's rent,
surrendering $400 that the major said should go to someone who needed
it.

"I cannot comprehend that the enemy was among us," Padilla said, as
he teared up. "I feel a little guilt that I was basically giving
housing to someone who is going to do so much destruction."

Neighbor Patricia Villa said Hasan came to her apartment the day of
the shooting, and before, to give her vegetables, an air mattress, T-
shirts, a Quran and offer her $60 to clean his Killeen, Texas,
apartment after he left.

Jacqueline Harris, 44, who lives with her boyfriend Willie Bell in
the apartment next door to Hasan, said he called Thursday at 5 a.m.
and left a message.

"He just wanted to thank Willie for being a good friend and thank him
for being there for him," Harris said. "That was it. We thought it
was just a nice message to leave."

Bell said Hasan offered a farewell, saying "nice knowing you, old
friend. I'm going to miss you."

According to a Killeen police report in August, an Army employee was
charged with scratching Hasan's car, causing $1,000 in damage.
Apartment manager John Thompson said the man charged was a soldier
back from Iraq, who objected to Hasan's faith and ripped a bumper
sticker off the major's car that said: "Allah is Love."

Kim Rosenthal, another neighbor, said Hasan didn't seem too upset by
his scratched vehicle, even though it was damaged so badly that he
got a new one. "He said it was Ramadan and that he had to forgive
people," Rosenthal said. "He forgave him and moved on."

Hasan appeared less forgiving to Dr. Val Finnell when they were
classmates in a 2007-08 master's public health program at the
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.

He said that at a class presentation by public health students, at
which topics like dry cleaning chemicals and house mold were
discussed, Hasan talked about U.S. military actions as a war on
Islam. Hasan made clear he was a "vociferous opponent" of U.S. wars
in Muslim countries, Finnell said.

"He made himself a lightning rod for things," Finnell said. "No one
picked on him because he was a Muslim."

Law enforcement officials said they are trying to confirm if Hasan
wrote Internet postings that include his name about suicide bombings
and other threats, equating suicide bombers to soldiers who throw
themselves on a grenade to save the life of fellow soldiers.

Hasan is the Arlington, Va.-born son of Palestinian parents who ran a
restaurant and bar in Roanoke, Va., from 1987 to 1995, and owned a
small grocery store in that city.

His relatives in the West Bank said they had heard from family
members that Hasan felt mistreated in the Army as a Muslim.

"He told (them) that as a Muslim committed to his prayers he was
discriminated against and not treated as is fitting for an officer
and American," said Mohammed Malik Hasan, 24, a cousin. "He hired a
lawyer to get him a discharge."

Mohammed Hasan said outside his home in Ramallah that he heard about
the shooting from a relative. "I was surprised, honestly, because the
guy and his brothers are so calm, and he, as I know, loves his work."

Nidal Hasan is the eldest of three brothers. One brother, Annas,
lives in Ramallah with a wife and daughter, and practices law. The
youngest brother, Eyad, lives in Virginia.

"We don't mix with them a lot," Mohammed said. "Nidal like to stay
alone, he was very calm. He minded his own business."

Hasan graduated from medical school at the Uniformed Services
University in 2003, said Sharon K. Willis, speaking for the school.

He then entered a psychiatry residency program at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center, which he completed in 2007. He returned to the
university for the disaster and military psychiatry fellowship in 2007.

Phase one of that the fellowship is earning a master of public health
degree, which he completed in 2008. He completed the fellowship
program in June.

A month later, Hasan reported for duty at Fort Hood.

___

Blackledge reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lara
Jakes, Lolita C. Baldor, Cal Woodward, Devlin Barrett, Brett Zongker
and Jessica Gresko in Washington; Sue Lindsey in Roanoke, Va.; April
Castro and Jeff Carlton in Killeen, Texas; Dalia Nammari in Ramallah,
West Bank; and AP's News Research Center in New York contributed to
this report.

**

*"Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake."*
Henry David Thoreau

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